Forbidden Love
by tiffanykiwi
Summary: I looked away. I didn't care that he was so goddamn insanely attractive, he was a Malfoy. And yet my thoughts kept drifting to you-know-who (Not Voldemort). Why was this so hard?
1. The Train Ride

"Wake up, sweetie! You'll be late for your first day!"

First day? Oh, right! As soon as I remembered, I bounced out of bed.

"Right! I'm ready!" I say, picking up my kitten.

"Well, get dressed, check that you have everything, then eat something. The train doesn't leave for another hour, and we have plenty of time to get you there." My mother says, then walks out of the room.

I pet Grace one more time, then set her down. She purred, curling herself around my leg.

I was so excited to finally be going to Hogwarts that aside from jeans and a t-shirt, I threw on my robes. Checking that I had everything packed, I lugged my trunk downstairs to where my father was reading The Daily Prophet and my mother was tipping bacon onto my plate. My twin brother Max snorted when he saw me.

"What?" I ask, frowning.

"You don't have to put your robes on until the train is almost to Hogwarts. You'll look ridiculous walking onto the train." He says

"Morning." My father grunted, then went back to the paper and his coffee. I plopped down and ate everything as quickly as I could. Before I knew it, I was heading to the train station in our car.

When I went through the barrier with my parents and brother, I started to feel embarrassed. No one else had their robes on. _Maybe Max was right._ I thought, my face reddening.

"You two'd better get on the train. It's going to leave in five minutes." My father said in a stern but proud voice.

"Good luck sweetie! Make lots of friends and stay out of trouble! You too, Max!" My mother says, and kisses both of our heads.

After one final wave, I board the train, Grace in my arms. I don't know anyone at this place, I hadn't gone to a summer camp like my brother had. He was already meeting up with some, and heading to an empty compartment with them. I sighed. Looking down and cradling my kitten, I walked ahead, glancing at compartments to see if they were empty. I was so busy doing that that I accidentally bump into someone.

"Watch it!" They say sharply, and I looked up, startled. A blond haired boy with a permanent sneer was dusting off his shirt, frowning.

"S-sorry!" I squeak, and rush past him.

I finally find a compartment with no one in it and shove my trunk in the rack above the seats. I slump onto a chair, breathless. Grace leaps out of my grasp and curls up in my lap, tucking her tiny paws in. I scratch her head, thinking about what house I might be in. As long as it wasn't Hufflepuff, I would be okay.

Moments later, the door to my compartment slides open. A boy with messy black hair is standing there.

"Do you mind if I sit here?" He asks. I shrug and he sits down.

The train lurches and I feel that it starts to move. I look out to see one last glimpse of my parents waving.

A few minutes after that, a tall red haired boy with freckles opens the door again.

"Can I sit here? All the other compartments are full..." I scoot over to make room for him. He sits down next to me and looks at the other boy, then looks quickly away.

Once again, the door opens, and two boys poke their heads in. They resemble the red - haired boy quite a lot.

"Hey, Ron," One of the boys says. "We're going down the middle of the train. Lee Jordan's got a giant tarantula down there."

"Right." Ron mumbled.

"Harry," Said the other one. "Did we introduce ourselves? Fred and George Weasley, and this is Ron, our brother. See you later then!"

"Bye!" Harry and Ron say at the same time.

The door closes again.

"Are you really Harry Potter?" Ron asks.

Harry nods. "Oh...well I thought it might be one of Fred and George's jokes." Ron says.

"And have you really got that...you know." He points to Harry's forehead.

Harry pulls away his bangs to reveal a lightning - shaped scar.

"So that's where...You-Know-Who..." Ron whispers, staring.

"Yes." Harry says shortly. "But I can't remember it."

"Nothing?" Ron asks excitedly.

"Well, I remember a lot of green light. But nothing else." Harry replies, and I see that he looks uncomfortable.

"Oh, stop. He probably doesn't want to try remembering his parent's death." I say for the first time, and both boys jump at hearing me speak.

"Whatever." He says, embarrassed. "And who might you be?"

"Melody Carter. I have a twin brother, but he went off with his friends." I sigh, resenting the fact that I refused to go to a camp I had never been to.

"Are all your family wizards?" Harry asks Ron.

"I think so." Ron replied. "But I think mum's got a second cousin who's an accountant. but we never talk about him."

"So you must know loads of magic already." Harry says, almost jealously.

"I heard you went to live with muggles." Ron says, and I find it odd that he was changing the subject. "What are they like?"

"Horrible," Harry replies. "Well, not all of them. My aunt and uncle and cousin are, though. Wish I'd had three wizard brothers."

"Five." Ron says miserably. "I'm the sixth in our family to go to Hogwarts. You could say I've got a lot to live up to."

I nod.

I didn't have five brothers, just one, but I could still sympathize a little. My brother was good at everything. He was popular, athletic, and I'm not anything like him. I sigh, then continue listening.

"Bill and Charlie have already left. Bill was Head Boy, and Charlie was captain of Quidditch. Now Percy's a prefect. Fred and George mess around a lot, but they still get really good marks, and everyone thinks they're really funny." Ron sighs. "Everyone expects me to do as well as the others. But if I do, it's no big deal because they did it first. You never get anything new, with five brothers. I've got Bill's old robes, Charlie's old wand, and Percy's old rat."

Ron pulled a plump rat from his jacket. I laid a hand over Grace. She was just a kitten, but she did like chasing mice and other small rodents.

"Careful. I'd put him away if I were you. Grace likes to chase things." I pointed at her, sleeping in my lap.

"He's useless anyway. His name's Scabbers." He put the rat back in his pocket.

There was silence, except for the occasional talk between Ron and Harry. I said nothing.

Around 12:30, a round - faced witch opened the door and asked, "Anything from the trolley, dears?"

Harry lept up from his seat, and Ron muttered, "I brought sandwiches..."

Harry went out of the compartment and came back with a couple of everything.

"Hungry, are you?" Ron asks.

"Starving." Harry answers, biting a pumpkin pasty.

Ron pulled out a package and unwrapped it. Inside it, there were four sandwiches, and he pulled apart one of them.

"Mum never remembers that I hate corned beef."

"I'll swap you for one of these." Harry says, gesturing to the huge pile of sweets. "Go on."

"You don't want these." Ron said sullenly. "It's all dry. She hasn't got much time, you know, with five of us."

"Go on," Harry said encouragingly. "Have a pasty. You too, Melody."

I timidly took a pasty, nibbling the end of it. We had a good time, eating up all of the sweets.

Harry picked up a packet of chocolate frogs.

"What are these?" He asks, examining it. "They aren't actually frogs, are they?"

"Nah." Ron says, "See what the card is. I'm missing Agrippa."

"What?" Harry asks quizzically.

"Oh, right, you don't know." Ron says, slapping his forehead. "Chocolate frogs have cards inside them. To collect and stuff. Famous witches and wizards. I have about 500, but I haven't got Tolomey or Agrippa."

Harry curiously unwrapped his chocolate frog and took out the card.

I leaned over to see who he had, startling Grace.

"Ooo, you've got Dumbledore!" I say, seeing the unmistakable face of my new headmaster.

"So this is him." Harry says, surprised.

"Blimey, Harry, don't tell me you've never heard of Dumbledore." Ron says. "Mind if I have a frog too? I might get Agrippa. Thanks." He grabs a frog and unwraps it, looking at the card. His face falls.

"He's gone!" Harry exclaims. He flips the card around to show that the portrait was now empty.

"Well, you can't expect him to stay there. Don't worry, he'll be back. I've got Morgana, do you want her? I've got about six of this one..." Ron says, sighing. "You could start to collect them."

He looks over at the uneaten pile of chocolate frogs, and Harry says, "Help yourself. But in the muggle world, the pictures stay still."

"Really? They don't ever move? Weird." Ron said in awe.

Harry looked down at the card again, while Ron started to eat more frogs. I took one as well, and opened it. Without looking at the card, I gave it to Harry. I didn't tell Ron, but I had all of them, even duplicates of the ones he was looking for.

Eventually, Harry had a small stack of cards. When most of the frogs were gone, Harry took a packet of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans.

"I'd be careful if I were you." Ron says warningly. "They literally have every flavor. You have the normal ones, like green apple and coffee, but then you get ones like vomit, and spinach. George reckons that he tasted a bogey flavored one once."

He took a dark green bean. Carefully, he bit a tiny edge of it.

"Ugh. See? This one's sprouts." He says, spitting it into the small wastebasket.

It was fun eating all of the beans. There were some that the boys wouldn't touch, that I would. I ended up tasting peach, berry, chicken, dirt, and a lot of others.

Later, someone knocked on the compartment door and a plump boy came in.

"I'm sorry...but has anyone seen my toad?" He asks, distressed. We all shook our heads.

"I lost him again! He keeps running away!" He wailed.

"I hope you find him." I say kindly.

"If you see him..." The boy left.

"I don't know what the fuss is all about. I'd lose it as fast as I could if I had brought a toad." Ron says. "I brought Scabbers, though, so I suppose I can't talk."

He took Scabbers out of his jacket again and poked him.

"I attempted to make him yellow, you know, to make him look better, but the spell didn't really work." He adds. "Here, I'll show you."

After a few moments of looking in his trunk, he brought out a wand that looked very used. A unicorn hair was poking out the end.

He had started to raise his wand when the door opened yet again. The boy from earlier was there with a girl. Like me, she wore her robes already. This made me feel a little better, less silly.

"Neville lost his toad, have you three seen it?" She asked.

"No, we already told him that we haven't." Ron said, but it seemed that the girl didn't hear him. Her eyes were on the wand in his hand.

"Are you going to do magic?" She sat down. "Let's see, then."

Ron, flustered, said, "Alright. Sunshine, daisies, butter mellow. Turn this stupid, fat rat yellow!" Waving his wand, he pointed it at Scabbers. We all waited a few moments, but no effect became visible.

"Is that it?" the girl asked. "Because I don't think that it was a real spell. It's not very good if it is. I know a few simple ones for starters, and it's worked for me so far. I'm the only magic one in my family. We were so surprised when the letter came, but I really was happy. It's the best magic school there is, from what I've heard. I know all of our books by heart, of course. I do hope it'll be enough, though. My name's Hermione Granger, if you were wondering. Who are you?"

Amused, I said, "Melody Carter."

"Ron Weasley." Ron said.

"Harry Potter." Harry said, bewildered.

"Really?" Hermione said, astounded. "I've read all about you. You're mentioned in Modern Magical History, The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts, and Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century."

"I am?" Harry asked, surprised.

"Well, yes of course. Do any of you know what house you might be in? I personally hope I'm in Gryffindor. I suppose that Ravenclaw would be okay, too. We'll probably be there soon. Melody has the right idea, putting her robes on early. You two should as well." Hermione said, then left with Neville.

"Well, whatever house I go to, I hope she's not in it." Ron says, frowning.

I smack his arm.

"That's rude. She's just talkative." I say.

The boys started to talk about Quidditch and Ron's older brothers, when the door opened. Three boys, one of them I recognized, came in. The middle boy was the one I had bumped into when I was trying to find a seat.

"Is it true that Harry Potter is in this compartment? That's what they're saying all down the train. So, it's you, is it?" He was looking at Harry.

"Yes." Harry said.

The blond boy looked at his two companions.

"These two are Crabbe and Goyle." He said. "And I'm Malfoy. Draco Malfoy."

Ron snickered.

"Do you think that my name is funny?" He drawled. "I don't need to ask who you are. My father has told me all about the Weasleys. Red hair, freckles, and too many children to afford."

He turned to Harry again.

"You will find that some wizarding families are better that others. You don't want to make friends with the wrong ones." He continued. "I could help you."

He held out his hand.

Harry didn't take it.

"I can do that just fine on my own, thanks."

"I'd be careful if I were you, Potter. If you aren't more polite, you'll go the same way your parents did. They weren't aware what was good for them either. You hang around with people like the Weasleys and that Hagrid, and you'll turn out just like them."

I stood up, anger flashing in me.

"Say that again!" I say, my fists clenched.

Draco turned to me.

"What did you say?"

I took a step closer to him, rising to my full height.

"I said say that again." I repeated. You wouldn't know it by looking, but I was pretty strong for my age.

He and his companions laughed.

"Oh, look, girlie's gonna fight us. How amusing." He said, and Crabbe and Goyle chuckled.

Then, so fast that he wasn't able to stop me, I slapped him.

"I'd think twice before you insult my friends. And my name's Melody Carter, not girlie. Now go away, before I do something worse than slap you." I say, clenching my teeth.

Draco rubbed his cheek, pure shock on his face. Then he smirked, lowering his hand.

"But we don't exactly feel like going away, do we, boys? We ate all of our sweets, but it appears you still have some." Draco said, getting his swagger back.

The boy named Goyle was reaching for a chocolate frog near Ron. Ron and Harry both lept up, but before either of them could react, Goyle yelped. He withdrew his hand, to show that Scabbers was hanging on the end of it. Swinging his hand around, he managed to shake Scabbers off and he went flying onto the window pane. With that, Crabbe, Goyle, and Malfoy disappeared, leaving the compartment door open. Shutting it, I sat back down.

Moments later, Hermione came in.

"What just happened?" Hermione asked, seeing the food littered on the ground.

"What do you want?" Ron asked looking annoyed.

"I thought I said that you should put your robes on. I just went up to the conducter and he said that we're nearly there. You weren't fighting, were you?" She asked suspiciously.

I shrugged. "All I did was slap Draco. And Scabbers bit Goyle's finger."

Ron scowled at Hermione. "Would you mind leaving? We have to change, as you said."

"Alright." Hermione said, frowning at the fact that they weren't also telling me to leave.

She left, and they put their robes on over their clothes.

We followed everyone else to the front, where a crowd was gathered, waiting for the train to stop. We all got out, and the cold air suddenly hit me. The only warmth I had was Grace, she was curled up in my arms, giving off large heat waves.

I heard a booming voice echo across the dark platform.

"Firs' years! Firs' years over with me!" It said. "Alri' there, Harry?"

I saw who was talking and gasped. A giant man, clearly visible over the crowd was beaming at Harry.

"Come on, follow me, any more firs' years? Mind yer step, now. Firs' years!" He said.

A large crowd of people, all seeming to be first years, followed the big man.

"Jus' 'round this here bend, you'll see Hogwarts for the firs' time." He said.

Like everyone else, I gasped in awe. A huge castle loomed out from the darkness.

"No more 'n four to a boat!" He called out. There was a fleet of small boats that he was pointing at.

I climbed in after Harry and Ron, then Hermione joined us.

"Oh, Harry," I say, suddenly remembering. "Who is he? The big man that seems to know you."

"Oh, that's Hagrid," Harry replied. "He's nice."

"Righ' then, if everyone's in, we'll be off. Forward!" Hagrid said, and with that command, they moved forward simultaneously.

As we moved, I looked down into the lake. The great expanse of water awed me. I even thought I might have seen a mermaid.

Finally, when we got out, we climbed up a passage, following Hagrid's lantern. After going up some stone steps, we reached very large oak doors.

Hagrid knocked three times and they swung open.


	2. Surprise at the Sorting

A stern - looking woman greeted us.

"The firs' years, Professor Mcgonagall." Hagrid says, stepping aside.

"Thank you, Hagrid." She says sharply. "I'll take them from here."

The doors magically opened wider, and I looked in awe at the vast entrance hall. Torches lit the room up on either side, and I stood, amazed. Mcgonagall started walking, everyone following her. Still rooted to the spot, I stood there until someone poked me, and I stumbled, backwards. Someone catches me, and I look to see who it is. When I do, I leap out of their grasp.

"Careful," Draco says, smirking. "You don't want to hurt yourself."

He walks away. I snort, feeling ashamed that he was the one that caught me. And yet...why were there butterflies in my stomach?

Being forced to move with the rest of the crowd, I catch up to Harry and Ron.

The professor led us to a small empty chamber. It was cramped, and I didn't know why, but I found myself next to Draco. I sneered at him and he sneered right back.

"Malfoy." I whispered jeeringly, shoving him with my elbow.

"Carter." He taunts back, elbowing me back.

For some unknown reason, this felt more playful than mean.

"Welcome to Hogwarts." Professor Mcgonagall begins. "The start of term banquet will be starting momentarily. But before you sit down, you will be sorted into your houses. The sorting is a very important ceremony, because while you are at Hogwarts, your house will be like your family. You will have classes with your housemates, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free-time in your house common room. The four houses are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has a individual, noble history. Each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. At Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, whilst any rule breaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points will be given the house cup, a great honor. Whatever house you go to, I hope you will be a credit to it. The sorting will take place in a few moments, with the rest of the school. I suggest that you all smarten yourselves up while you're waiting."

She looked at everyone, as if silently criticizing them.

"I shall return when we are ready for you all." She adds. "Please wait here quietly."

Then she left the room.

"How exactly do they sort us into houses?" Harry asks, obviously nervous.

"Some sort of test, I think. Fred says it hurts a lot, but I think he was joking." Ron says ponderously.

Harry's face fell.

"Your brother's lying to you." I say matter-of-factly. Both boys look at me.

"My parents told me all about the sorting. It isn't a test, you just have to put on a hat and it shouts out what house you'll be in." I say, then my face reddens, because I realize that almost everyone in the room had turned to listen. They were all looking relieved at this.

Then, all of a sudden, Everyone gasped at once. Several ghosts had flown through the wall.

"Cool." I said, amazed at them all.

I heard some of them talking. It was quite interesting.

"Forgive and forget, I say!" Said a fat little monk. "We ought to give him a second chance!"

Then another ghost with ruffled tights spoke. "My dear Friar, haven't we given Peeves enough chances? He gives all of us a bad name and you know he's not really even a ghost. I say, what are all of you doing here?"

He had noticed us, and was now frowning slightly. It was silent.

"Oh, new students!" The Friar said. "I suppose you're about to be sorted. I hope to see you in Hufflepuff! My old house, you know!"

I heard Draco snicker.

"Move along, now," Said the familiar voice of Professor Mcgonagall. "The sorting ceremony is about to start."

The ghosts all floated away, some students watching them go.

"Form a line now!" The professor said, and we all shuffled into an awkward line. "Follow me!"

We followed her to a pair of double doors and into the Great Hall.

If the castle and the ghosts weren't enough, then this was. The Great Hall was huge, and when I looked up, there were stars instead of a ceiling. Thousands of candles lit the place, floating over four long tables. Silverware, plates, and goblets were on the four tables, and there was another table at the front with all the teachers. We were led up to a platform near the staff table, and stood facing all the students at the four other tables.

I looked at each table's students, and noticed different characteristics were distinguished at each one. The far left table, with a silver and green banner with a snake on it, all looked mean and tough. The middle left table, a bronze and blue banner with an eagle on it, looked focused and determined. The middle right table, a gold and scarlet banner with a lion on it, were looking brave and excited. The far right table, with a yellow and black banner with a badger on it, looked ready for anything and a little over-dramatic.

I saw the twin brothers, grinning at the new students, and I couldn't help but smile a little too. I looked over again at the Slytherin table, then glanced at Draco. He sneered at me. I stuck my tongue out at him.

I turned my attention back to the professor, who had placed a stool on the floor. She also put a hat on the stool. I watched, fascinated, as the hat seemed to come to life. It opened the brim like a mouth and it started to sing.

 _Oh, you may not think I'm pretty_

 _But don't judge on what you see_

 _I'll eat myself if you can find_

 _A smarter hat than me_

 _You can keep your bowlers black_

 _Your top hats sleek and tall_

 _For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat_

 _And I can cap them all_

 _There's nothing hidden in your head_

 _The Sorting Hat can't see_

 _So try me on, and I will tell you_

 _Where you ought to be_

 _You might belong in Gryffindor_

 _Where dwell the brave at heart_

 _Their daring nerve and chivalry_

 _Set Gryffindors apart_

 _You might belong in Hufflepuff_

 _Where they are just and loyal_

 _Those patient Hufflepuffs are true_

 _And unafraid of toil_

 _Or, yet in wise old Ravenclaw_

 _If you've a ready mind_

 _Where those of wit and learning_

 _Will always find their kind_

 _Or, perhaps, in Slytherin_

 _You'll make your real friends_

 _Those cunning folk use any means_

 _To acheive their ends_

 _So, put me on! Don't be afraid!_

 _And don't get in a flap!_

 _You're in safe hands! (though I have none)_

 _For I'm a thinking cap!_

Applause followed this tune, although I didn't hear any from Draco. After making four bows, one to each table, it grew lifeless again.

I waited in line nervously fiddling with the clasp on my silver bracelet, the one my sister gave to me right before she disappeared. She had been in Gryffindor,

and now I wondered what house I would be in.

"When I call your name, you will put on the hat, and sit on the stool to be sorted." Mcgonagall said, holding a very long roll of parchment. "Abbot, Hannah!"

A girl with blond hair and pigtails came up and put on the hat. It didn't fit her, it slid down past her eyes, but she still sat down. After a moment of tense silence, the hat called out, "Hufflepuff!"

The far right table burst into applause as she ran to join her new housemates.

"Bones, Susan!"

"Hufflepuff!" the hat said once again. More applause.

"Boot, Terry!"

"Ravenclaw!"

"Brocklehurst, Mandy!"

"Ravenclaw!"

"Brown, Lavender!"

"Gryffindor!"

"Bulstrode, Milicent!"

"Slytherin!"

"Carter, Max!"

My brother walked up, shoving the hat on and sitting down. After just a few moments, the hat said, "Gryffindor!". I wasn't surprised.

"Carter, Melody!" She called out at last. Oh boy. This was it.

I calmly walked up, feeling more nervous than I showed. I placed the hat on, and because of my ponytail, it didn't fall down. I sat down, waiting for the voice to call out a house. But it didn't. Instead, I heard a voice in my head, talking to me.

 _"Nervous, are you? Yes, you're very difficult to decide. You have a lot of brains, but your bravery is greater. Ambitious, too. Never wanting to fail. You're not as different as your brother than you think. Well, I think it'll be_ SLYTHERIN!"

I saw my brother looking utterly shocked. He stared at me as I took off the hat and walked calmly to the Slytherin table. My heart pounded as I sat down, away from others. I was completely shocked. My brother and I were in houses that hated each other. and the friends I had made on the train didn't seem like Slytherins.

I rested my head on the table, now miserable, tuning out all of the people getting sorted. I didn't even notice when Malfoy sat next to me, until he said, "Are you alright?"

I looked up, startled. I shrugged. "Not really."


	3. The Dream

I hadn't realized how hungry I was until the food appeared. Despite feeling morose about my being in Slytherin, I ate a lot. I had to say that my favorite dish was the mashed potatoes and turkey gravy, which had actual bits of turkey in it.

When even the dessert had been cleared, a fifth year prefect stood up and everyone else at our table stood up too. We followed him down to a place that looked suspiciously like a dungeon entrance.

"Toad's blood." The prefect said, and the wall opened. We entered with him, and I looked around at the common room. I didn't pay much attention to the details of it, partly because I was tired, partly because I wasn't thinking about it.

Once again, I glanced over at Draco, and was surprised to see him watching me with a mixed expression. I turned away quickly, not wanting to really look at him. I headed straight to my new dorm, labeled First Years. Putting on my pajamas, I fell quickly asleep to the sound of my cat purring on my stomach.

...

 _Jessie and I were sitting in her room, talking. Then she said, "Hey, you want to go see if we can find a unicorn? I saw it a couple of nights ago, and I want to see if we can find it again."_

 _I trusted my sister with my life, so I said yes._

 _We snuck out of the house, Jessie carrying her wand._

 _"Lumos," she said, and the tip of her wand illuminated us, standing at the edge of the forest._

 _"Come on." She said, and started to walk again._

 _Feeling nervous and excited, I followed her deeper and deeper into the woods. Lost in my thoughts, I didn't see her hand until I bumped into it. She was signaling me to stop._

 _I peeked around her shoulder, expecting to see the unicorn. Instead, a hooded figure was there. It said nothing, just stood, seeming to look at us._

 _"Mel, when I tell you to run, do it." She whispered so low I almost didn't hear her._

 _"But-"_

 _"Don't worry about me, just do it." She said. I heard the jingle of a chain and she put something heavy in my hand. "Take this, you'll need it someday. I love you, now run."_

 _Clutching the object in my hand, I ran, tearing through the trees. I didn't know where I was. I stopped after a few minutes, and my blood ran cold. A high, shrill scream had come from where I had just ran._

 _Tears dripped down my face as I stood, frozen at the edge of the woods. I had made it out, but my sister had not._

 _"Jessie." I sobbed, hugging my knees to my chest. "Jessie."_

...

I sat upright in my bed, my heart pounding, tears flowing from my eyes. I looked down at the thing I wore around my neck. What she had given me, I now wore. It was a necklace with a golden ball on it. I had tried to open the ball, because it looked like it opened, but it wouldn't budge.

 _'Take this, you'll need it someday.'_ she had said. I lay back down, wiping my eyes. I wondered what she meant by that. It didn't seem magical or dangerous. It looked like an ordinary necklace. Lifting the chain up, I studied the ball again. Nothing unusual. Eventually, I fell asleep holding the necklace. The dream didn't come again.


	4. The Letter

When I awoke, I wasn't sure what to do, so I got dressed and headed down to the common room. Someone else was coming down there too, and we accidentally bumped into each other.

"Hello." I muttered, then looked up. Draco was studying my face. He reached up, looking like he was going to cup my face with his hand, but instead, he slapped me.

"Wake up, or you'll run into a wall." He said, smirking, then walked off. I touched my cheek, not sure how to feel about what just happened.

I decided to follow him, and ended up in the great hall again. I walk over to my house table, not sure where to sit.

"Oy! Carter!" I hear someone say, and see Draco rolling his eyes and beckoning. Embarrassed, I come over and sit down across from Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle.

"You awake yet?" He asks, with a hint of a smile on his face. I frown, choosing to ignore his comment. Instead, I reach for some toast.

While I eat, I see Professor Snape passing out slips of parchment. When he hands me one, I look down at it. It's my course schedule for the week, and today I have Potions at nine o' clock, Charms at ten thirty, and Transfiguration at two thirty.

I feel someone staring at me, and I look up to see Draco watching me. He sees me looking and turns away, a pink tinge in his cheeks, pretending to be looking at his schedule. I smile slightly at this, but wonder what he's doing. I also wonder why my heart is fluttering.

Then suddenly hundreds of owls fly in the windows. Several people look up and gasp in amazement. Surprisingly, an huge grey owl swoops down and lands in front of me. There's a letter in it's beak, and it drops it in front of me. With that, it flaps its wings, gives me a glare, and flies away.

Shaking slightly, I pick up the letter. There's red ink on the front, looking suspiciously like blood, saying Melody M. Carter on it.

Feeling like nothing good was associated with this letter, I broke the seal in the shape of a rose and lifted up the flap. Taking out the parchment with great care, I unfold the paper and start to read it. It's short, but I look at the words again and again, trying to make sense of it.

The more I reread, the more I'm filled with complete dread. The color drains from my face, and I shove the letter in my pocket, getting up from my seat.

"...Melody?" Draco asks. Everyone is looking at me. I shake my head, not able to speak, and run out.

In the hall, I stop running and lean against a wall, sliding down to a sitting position. I put my head in my hands.

"No..." I said, tears dripping down my face. "No..."

"You know what is coming." A voice said. "Unless you give it up."

I lift my head, and horror meets my eye. The same hooded figure stands before me, just like in my dream.

"You will meet the same fate as your sister if you don't give it to me. I will come again, so be ready to give it up or die." They said, in a voice I could only imagine belonged to death itself. I closed my eyes, not wanting to look at it anymore.

There was silence after that. It had gone.

"Melody?" Another kinder, gentler voice said. I open my eyes again and see Draco standing in front of me. He crouches in front of me and reaches out, taking my hand.

"Are you okay?" He asks, squeezing my hand.

I shake my head. He bites his lip.

"Well...while I'm here...I wanted to say sorry for what happened on the train. I shouldn't have said that. I don't like Potter or Weasley, but I'll try to be less of a jerk for your sake." He said, looking at the ground instead of me. I smile, feeling better.

"Thank you. I'm not emotionally unstable or anything. I just have some tough decisions to make." I say, the hooded figure still fresh in my mind.

...

Classes went okay, and I didn't see the hooded figure anymore, until a month later. I sat next to Draco, taking notes in Professor Snape's class, when chills suddenly ran down my spine. I looked up, and went pale. The thing was back, staring in my direction. I tightened the grip on my pen, so hard that I accidentally broke it. Draco heard the snap and looked over. I was staring at the figure, silently pleading, _not here. I won't give it up, but don't fight me here._

Draco looked to where I was staring and frowned.

"What is that?" He asked me under his breath. Before I could answer, the thing tapped its wrist with a skeletal finger and disappeared.

"Death." Was the only thing I could say. "That was death.

...

Halloween came sooner than expected, and that day, we had classes off. Draco suggested that we could walk the grounds, and I obliged. We walked in silence, until Draco said, "Melody, that thing...two months ago..."

I looked at him.

"How did you know what it was? Where had you seen it before?" He asked.

I didn't answer for a few moments. "Do you remember how on the first day, I ran out of the Great Hall? Well, right before you came, it was there."

"Ah." He said, nodding.

"But that wasn't the first time I had seen it." I continued, and proceeded to tell him about my sister's disappearance.

"But there's one thing, well, two things I don't get. Why is it after you now? And what did the letter say?" He asked, and I sighed.

"Those two are tied together." I say, taking out the letter. I handed it to him, and he read it, his frown deepening.

"So it's not after you, it's after..." He trailed off.

"Yeah." I confirmed.

Taking the letter back, I looked over it once again. The words still scared me.

 _Wherever you go, I will find you. You have the sacred power in that necklace. Your sister was a fool for giving you it, for now you will suffer too. I will come for you now. Be warned, you are not safe if you have that necklace. Give it to me and I will be merciful._


	5. Nighttime Escapade

Later that evening, at the feast, I sat next to Draco. For some reason, Pansy was giving me a look of pure hatred. Just as I was taking a swig of pumpkin juice, Professor Quirrel ran in to the Great Hall.

"TROLL! IN THE DUNGEON! Just thought you ought to know." He said, then fainted dead on the spot.

There was panic immediately.

"Everyone, calm down! Head Boys and Head Girls, lead your houses back to the houses! Teachers, come with me! We will finish the feast in our dormitories!" Professor Dumbledore called. Our Head Boy and Head Girl led us to our dorm, and everyone was standing in the common room. The food was brought up to us, and we continued to eat and drink, but mostly, people wanted to talk about the troll.

When the feast was finished, people started drifting up to their rooms, until I thought I was the only one there. It was pretty late, nine o' clock, but I wasn't tired at all. I sat by the fire, staring into the flames wondering what to do. Standing up, I decided that I would go out and find an adventure.

I was about to go out when someone covered my eyes.

"Guess who?" They asked. I smiled, removed his hands from my eyes and laced my fingers with his. I turned around to face the one person in Slytherin I could tolerate.

"Hello, Draco. To what do I owe this pleasure?" I asked, raising my eyebrows.

"Well, I saw that you didn't go to your dormitory. So I wanted to see what you were doing. Where were you going to go?" He asked.

I considered whether I should tell him or not for a moment. "I was going to go on an adventure." I said, then noticed our fingers were still laced together. "Just to find something more interesting than insomnia."

He laughed. "Well, then. You'll need someone to accompany you. It's dangerous in the castle for a pretty girl."

My cheeks reddened at this comment. Recently, for an unknown reason, I was starting to think of him differently. The way he seemed to light up when he saw me, how he snuck in a flirtatious comment during group projects and lunch, how he wasn't such a jerk to me as he was to others.

"Hm...I suppose I need an adventure buddy. but if Parvati catches you, she'll kill you." I say, pretending to look thoughtful.

"We'll just have to not get caught, now won't we?" He presses. I look down at our hands intertwined, and nod.

"I guess not." I confirm, smiling.

We snuck out of the common room, after I reluctantly let go of his hands. After taking a moment to decide where to go, we decide to go up to the astronomy tower. Three very close run-ins with Filch and Mrs. Norris later, we were climbing the last steps to the top of the tower. When we got to the top, we sat down, breathing heavily. There were a lot of stairs, and it was a long walk from the dorms.

I stood up and went to the window. There wasn't a window pane, so the cold night air came in, blowing my hair back over my shoulders.

I looked over my shoulder at him. "What now?"

He looked back at me.

...

Draco's POV

When she asked me that, I wasn't sure what to say. A lot was going through my mind, I was thinking about how beautiful she looked, that I wanted to kiss her, and hold hands again, but I didn't want to rush into things.

I cleared my throat. She was waiting for my reply, and I was going to say something she wouldn't expect.

"Umm...actually I wanted to ask you something." I said, then took a leap of faith. "Do you...fancy me?"

The way her cheeks turned a rosy color was cute.

"Would you kill me if I didn't?" She asked, and I couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. I shook my head.

She smiled. "Don't look so sad. I was kidding."

I looked at her.

"You're my best friend here, you'll follow me anywhere, and I trust you completely. So what do you think?" She asked, raising her eyebrows.

"...yes?" I guessed, brightening.

"Yes, silly. You're the only Slytherin I can tolerate." She replies.

"So would you go out with me?" I didn't have much high hopes about that, but it was worth a shot.

She was quiet for a moment. Then she took my hands and laced her fingers in mine.

"Yes. But Pansy's going to murder me."

I frowned. As much as Pansy clung on to me, she was my least favorite person in Slytherin. I might have even disliked her more than Potter.

We stayed in the astronomy tower, talking about little things. Eventually, we went back to the common room, and just sat by the fire. She grew tired, and soon fell asleep on my shoulder. I looked down at her, sleeping peacefully. I sighed. For the first time in my life, I was genuinely happy.

...

Melody's POV

"Hey, lovebirds, wake up."

I sat straight up, looking around. When I had moved, Draco woke with a start. He had been leaning on me, and moving had disturbed his sleep.

The person waking us up was Pansy, pouting.

"Sorry, but I need to talk to Melody." She said in her most syrupy voice to Draco, batting her eyelashes.

Draco shrugged, and Pansy motioned for me to follow her out of the common room.

We stopped in the hall. Pansy crossed her arms.

"You need to stop." She said, glaring at me.

"Stop what?" I asked.

"You know exactly what I mean, don't play innocent. Stop thinking you have a chance with Draco. He's my boyfriend. I'm going to make that clear now." She said, narrowing her eyes.

I raised my eyebrows.

"Oh, YOUR boyfriend? Why don't you stop being delusional? because it's funny, last night, he asked me out, and I said yes. And when I talked about you, he was disgusted. So back off, I'll make that clear now." I retorted, smirking.

Pansy was still glaring at me.

"Whatever," She said, turning on her heels. "Like it's actually gonna last. He knows his heart belongs to me."

Draco came out of the common room a second later and said, "Let's go down to breakfast."

"Yes." I agree. "Let's."


	6. Conversation and Crushes

We were in the common room later that day, it was a free period, and I had just come back from my dorm with a book in my hand. Draco was sitting on a couch near the fire, his hair not gelled up like it usually is. I smiled when I saw him there, and I plopped down next to him, laying my head on his lap and putting my feet up.  
"Hello." He said, with a hint of a smile in his voice.  
"Hey," I replied, opening up my book.  
There was silence for a few minutes, then I realized that he was playing with my hair. I tipped my head up to look at him.  
"What? I like your hair." He said, and I smiled at him. I reached up and ruffled his hair.  
"I like yours too, but I like it better when you don't use a whole bottle of hair gel on it." I said, giggling.  
He frowned, and leaned down like he was going to kiss me, but I pushed him away.  
"Nice try, mister! Don't push your luck." I said, and went back to reading my book. My face was heated, but I was happy, sitting here with him.  
Then Zabini poked his head in.  
"Hey, sorry to interrupt your snogging session," -I raised my eyebrows at this- "But there's a Gryffindor named Max who wants to talk to Melody. Should I tell him to sod off?"  
I leapt up.  
"No need for that, Blaise, I'll go talk to him." I say, walking past him.  
Outside, the common room entrance closed, and I looked up to see Max standing there.  
"What?" I asked, feeling as if he was going to accuse me of something.  
"Can't I see how my sister's doing? Made any friends yet? Anything happening with you?" He asked me, spreading his arms wide for a hug.  
I hugged him, then pulled back.  
"I have some kind of important news you should hear about," I say, thinking how he might not be happy to hear it.  
"I think from your expression, mine is going to be more important. Are you going to invite me in?" He said, his face going serious for a moment.  
"Fine, if I must," I reply in fake exasperation.  
As we go in, my brother apologizes.  
"Sorry I haven't talked to you besides classes. Things have been crazy with me, and I haven't caught a break until now." He says, scratching the back of his head.  
I smile. "It's fine, same here."  
We sit down on the couch, me next to Draco, Max next to me. They make eye contact, and they both stiffen. I roll my eyes.  
"Oh, honestly. Draco, this is my twin brother Max. Max, this is Draco, my...boyfriend." I say, wincing at 'boyfriend'.  
Draco relaxes, and holds out his hand for Max to shake. Max takes it very stiffly.  
"My sister didn't tell me she had a boyfriend." He says, turning towards me accusingly.  
"We just started dating last night, Max. Relax, we haven't even kissed." I reply, rolling my eyes again.  
"Right..." He says, but he still has an air of menace. "I need to talk to Melody alone, actually."  
Draco nods respectfully, and heads up to his dorm, Zabini doing the same.  
"So now that they're gone, first off, what the heck? How the heck did you end up with someone like him? And why did that other boy say 'sorry to interrupt your snogging session'?"  
I narrowed my eyes.  
"Okay, I wasn't snogging Draco. As I've said, we haven't even kissed. And he's the only Slytherin I can tolerate? The rest are all bullies or brainless gits." I say defiantly. Max runs a hand through his golden blonde hair.  
"Geez, Melody. You're only eleven. I'm your brother, I'm supposed to protect you from stuff like this happening until you're like, thirty." He says, obviously calmed down.  
Yet again, I roll my eyes.  
"You make it sound like I'm pregnant or something. And don't forget, you're the same age as me, I'm even a few minutes older. Nothing's going to happen, I promise you. Draco's very sweet, once you get to know him." I say.  
"Well, that's not the side of him I've seen. He's been a git to Potter and Weasley. Not to mention Granger." He says, snorting.  
I shrug.  
"I know he's like that, only because Harry rejected his handshake on the train. And he doesn't like any of the Weasleys, it's not just Ron. Hermione, well, she has muggle parents, and he despises all muggles, so that makes sense. I'm not excusing him being a git, I just know why. So aside from all that, you said you had something important to tell me?" I explain.  
His face grows serious again.  
"Okay, so something weird happened to me a while back. I was..." He trailed off, and he was staring past me. I turned around and saw a girl from I had never talked to before, and Pansy Parkinson. Pansy was staring at Max, but Max was staring at the other girl. The other girl blushed.  
"Hello, Pansy, and Pansy's friend. This is my brother Max. Is there something you want? Because we were having an important conversation." I say, taking the polite approach.  
Pansy looked at me, then back at my brother.  
"Well, I wanted to introduce Lucelia Grace, my friend. You don't really know her, but she's in our year in Slytherin, too. Nice to meet you, Max." She batted her eyelashes at Max, and Max vaguely waved hi back. This made her giggle. "We'll be going now, but I want to talk to you later. Bye, Melody!"  
With that, Pansy and Lucelia left.  
"Wow, that Slytherin girl sure was something!" Max said, running a hand through his hair again. I frowned at him.  
"Don't tell me you fancy Pansy. Although that may make things easier, so she can stop flirting with my boyfriend..." I said, suddenly thinking this may come in handy.  
"No, no, the other one. Lucelia. She was...great." He said, grinning and dazed. I slapped his cheek to snap him out of it.  
"Wake up, Casanova! What were you going to say before that happened?" I say, irritated.  
He seems to come back to earth with that, and he grows serious again.  
"Right. Like I had said, something really strange happened to me a couple of weeks ago. I was in DADA, when I heard a sort of voice. It said, 'your sister's time is running out. She will perish'. Ever since, It's been whispering threats about you to me, and just today, it said that it would use me to get to you. Do you know what it's after? It seems to want something from you." He said, and his words chilled me. My face was pale, and I couldn't stop my hands from shaking.  
" _'Wherever you go, I will find you'_..." I muttered.  
"What?" My brother asked, giving me a funny look. I shook my head.  
"Look, Max, don't worry about it, or me. More than usual, anyway. The less you know, the better it is. I'll get it sorted out, just let me know if the voice does anything other than threaten you." I said, looking him in the eye.  
"Melody, if you're in danger, I need to know. Just tell me." He persists.  
"All you need to know is that Jessie might not be dead. Please, let's leave it at that." I say, putting a hand on my forehead. His eyes widen.  
"Jessie? But you said that she had been killed in the forest, but you escaped. Did you lie?" He asked me.  
"If you knew the whole story, you'd wish that I'd never told you what really happened. I don't even know all of what happened, even if I was there. Max, I'm done with this, and I'm done answering questions. Please, just leave." I say, getting up and walking towards the entrance. Max stands up too, but he doesn't move towards me.  
"Melody...I'm not going to ask you anything else, but I don't know why you're shutting me out. I'm your brother, and I'm worried." With that, he walks out. I lean on the wall, biting my lip. When _did_ I start to shut him out?  
Sighing, I went up to the dormitory, and saw Pansy waiting for me.  
"Oh, hello there, Melody! I wanted to ask you about your brother!" She said in a perky voice.  
"You want to know about him, don't you? He's my twin, he's in Gryffindor, and yes, he's single. But I don't think you're his type." I drone, my mind on other things.  
"I'm sure he'll like me if he gets to know me." She insists.  
"I sure as hell don't." I mutter under my breath so she can't hear.  
"Well, is there any way you could get me a picture of him? I'll stop hanging on to Drakey-poo's arm!" She says craftily.  
"For that, I'll pay you to stop. Sure, you can have his picture. But if you want to try and hook up with him, you're on your own." I reply, and take out a big family album. I have plenty of pictures of him, even though the album's not very full. I pull out a picture of him smiling charmingly, taken the night before we started Hogwarts. I hand it to Pansy, and she squeals, hugging me.  
"Thank you, Mel! You're my absolute best friend!" She says. I push her away.  
"No, I'm not. I'd rather it just stay where we share a house, not friendship." I say, and go back down to the common room. Draco's there, waiting for me. I smile, happy to have an excuse not to think of what my brother said.


End file.
